10 Weird Facts About Dogs

10Baboons Keep Pet Dogs

Every pet dog, from the sniveling Chihuahua to the towering Great Dane, is born with the heart of a wolf. Dogs are the domesticated version of the gray wolf and exhibit easily the greatest variation of any species on the planet. Without the dog, it is quite possible humans would still be primitive creatures, devoting our lives to gathering food and defending ourselves from the beasts that lurk at the edges of our campfires. Our dogs offer us protection, companionship, and loyalty to their dying breath. 10 Baboons Keep Pet Dogs
For many years, it has been asserted that the only animals that keep pets are human beings, but a troop of Hamadryas baboons near Ta-if, Saudi Arabia seems to have debunked that theory. Although some remain skeptical, claiming that the animals merely co-exist rather than share any bond, it is believed that the baboons kidnap the dogs as puppies and enjoy a symbiotic relationship with them much in the way that humans do. In exchange for food and companionship, the dogs protect the troop, particularly the vulnerable babies, against other dogs. There has been very little research on the phenomenon, but the footage captured on the scene by a French film crew seems very compelling evidence.

9Turnspit Dogs

Throughout history, dogs have been called on to perform dozens of tasks, from guiding the blind to fighting our enemies on the battlefield. But few realize that centuries ago, dogs also served in the kitchen. The so-called turnspit dog was a sturdy, long-bodied, short-legged canine called upon to operate a wheel (something like a hamster wheel), which would turn a roast on a spit, thus cooking the meat evenly. Turnspits were also used for powering treadmills that would pump water or churn butter, among other things. The harsh treatment of turnspit dogs at least partially inspired Henry Bergh to start the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Although now extinct, it is believed that the turnspit dog is probably related to the modern-day Glen of Imaal Terrier, listed by some sources as the world’s rarest domestic dog breed, likely to go extinct itself within the next decade or so.